﻿Ready for a change in color or design, but not sure which direction to take? Try one of these great new residential color and design trends:

- Pop Culture: Not for the faint of heart. Electrifyingly bold colors inspired by trends in fashion, music and art. Head-turning colors that are playful and fun. Think comic books, the tropics and candies -- all with a rock 'n' roll edge. Statement colors like tangerine, yellow or aqua stand out against a cool neutral backdrop. - Mix It Up: An unexpected blending of design elements, colors, textures, and shapes. Urban hipster meets shabby chic. Smooth contemporary design mixed with raw wood. In carpet design, it's the interplay of yarn mixes that creates striking visual appeal and textural effects. Colors include varying shades of grey, ivory and taupe. - Fashion Statement: An homage to old Hollywood. Classic colors plus black and gold with Art Deco-inspired design. - Down-To-Earth: Botanical themes and floral motifs run wild with lots of purples, pinks and foliage shades. Look for colors in rich jewel tones like amethyst, topaz, sapphire, and emerald. - Going Global: Vibrant designs and colors heavily influenced by foreign cultures from anywhere in the world like Africa, Asia, India, and Latin America. Colors are similar to other categories, but it's items like tribal motifs or animal prints that provide a distinctly ethnic feel.

Every year Pantone, the global authority on color, surveys the designers of New York Fashion Week (and other sources) to discover the season’s most prominent color trends. This year’s Pantone selection is: Radiant Orchid.

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, says, “An enchanting harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones, [it] inspires confidence and emanates great joy, love and health. It is a captivating purple, one that draws you in with its beguiling charm.”At first glance, Radiant Orchid appears to be most at home in a tropical décor. But with more consideration, you realize that you could incorporate this vibrant color into a contemporary, modern, or playful scheme.

We especially adore Radiant Orchid in flooring for any room of the house! As you can see from the pictures attached, it's a fun and creative color that will spark new energy into any room from the bathroom to the kitchen and beyond!

Fall is the ideal time of year to redecorate your home. The warm rich colors of nature can be truly inspiring to professional interior designers as well as DIY-ers. It also makes sense to spruce up your home in autumn so you’re ready for holiday entertaining. But while many think of redecorating as simply a new coat of paint or perhaps a new sofa with throw pillows, a key element often ignored when redecorating is flooring.Floor-covering experts at The Carpet Shop, located in Fox Chase, offer some simple tips for redecorating with carpet.Be Prepared:Shop with realistic expectations for the carpet. To accomplish this, prepare a list of questions, like:How is the room going to be used (dining, entertaining, guest bedroom)?Is there heavy foot traffic in the room?Do you have pets?Is there direct access to the outside or to direct sunlight?This step is important because you may have different requirements for your carpet. Such as, does it need to stand up to kids, pets, and many activities? Or are you more interested in the look/feel of a formal dining room?You can prepare even more by bringing along swatches of fabrics or paints as well as wallpaper samples when selecting your carpet.Color Your World:Color can be a major determining factor when it comes to carpets, as colors not only affect the look of a room, but they’re known to affect moods. Warmer colors can energize you, while cooler colors can provide a sense of calm.Years ago many carpeting choices were limited to basic beige and it was used more often as a neutral background than a focal point. That’s not the case today. New products are changing the public’s perception of carpet as a background used to showcase other furnishings, to the possibility of being the design focus itself. Since vibrant color can add distinctive styling appeal, many designers are using today’s colorful rugs as the focal point in rooms.It’s also important to keep in mind that the lighting in the carpet store is not the same as in your home. Most dealers, like The Carpet Shop, will allow you to take samples home to test in your own lighting conditions, so be sure to take advantage of that.Having said all this about color, the need for neutrals hasn’t exactly dissipated. Today’s trend in neutral carpet incorporates new design possibilities -- more texture, some pattern, and even flecks of color adding interest to basic backgrounds.Texturize:

Textured carpets, like Berbers, can provide just enough of a design element to your room without overwhelming it. And yes, Berbers are still popular, but unlike the plain Berbers of the early 1990s, today's versions have more texture, pattern, height and sculptured effects. Even more traditional Berbers offer additional visual interest with more differences in pile cut and thicker, deeper loop textures. Berbers are generally still on the neutral side, but often sprinkled with flecks of colors like tan, beige, soft green of blues, which add interest and dimension. As a bonus, Berbers help to disguise spills.

Many other styles of textured carpets have applied and woven patterns in organic shapes, such as leaves or flowers, that can coordinate easily with popular patterns in other home furnishings.

The Last Word:Along with paint, carpet can be one of the easiest ways to personalize your environment. Its color can be a neutral foundation or a vibrant focal point. Today's carpet trends take full advantage of new products as well as new ways to think about style.

Taking advantage of these choices can add great interest to the room and can even coordinate with florals, stripes, and other patterns on furniture and window treatments. Carpet pattern and texture increase the perception of quality and value in carpet, and can contrast beautifully with smoother elements such as furniture surfaces, walls, and counters.

To start redecorating today or for more information, call The Carpet Shop at 215.342.5900.

Whether it’s fallout from Hurricane Irene or just the massive amounts of rain we’ve been experiencing in general, the wet weather of the past few months has left many residents in Philadelphia with flooding issues in both their homes and offices. The Carpet Shop, located in Fox Chase, offers their top floor-cleaning tips following a flood.Safety first: Before you set foot inside your basement to begin cleaning, turn off your electricity. Use a broom handle to reach your switch box. Call a licensed electrician to address any concerns. Safety is paramount.Wear the proper attire: Once you determine it’s safe to proceed in the water, wear waterproof boots and gloves to protect you from dirt, germs, and bacteria. Mold and mildew thrive in basements, so wear a protective face mask to prevent you from breathing in mold spores.Quick removal: Removing all wet items from a flooded basement or office is essential to drying out your carpet. Area rugs should be removed immediately and placed somewhere waterless to dry completely before being placed back. If the carpet or rugs cannot be removed, remove every item from the carpet as soon as possible and focus on the flooring. A wet/dry vacuum works well to remove water from small areas. Eliminate mold: Carpets should not be left wet for more than two days as they then become breeding grounds for mold. If you notice mold growing, immediately remove the mold with a mold and mildew killer. If doable, place your carpet in a well-ventilated, damp-free area, as molds thrive on moisture. However if mold has begun to appear, it may be best to get rid of your carpet and replace it.Clean thoroughly: Clean your floors with a solution made of 1 cup of bleach and 5 gallons of water. Again, be sure to wear rubber gloves and work clothes. Run your sump pump: Use a pump to drain your basement of any leftover water. If the water is several feet deep, it needs to be removed slowly. Pumping water too fast will create low pressure on the inside of your basement and higher pressure on the outside, which can possibly cause your basement walls to fall in. If you have a floor drain, mop all the water into the drain. If not, mop up excess water and squeeze it into a bucket.Dry out your basement/office: As mentioned, damp areas are an invitation to mold, mildew, and other bacteria. Therefore, it’s important to quickly dry out your basement or office. Open your windows and doors to speed up the process. Turn on large fans and use a dehumidifier to expedite the drying. Do not dry wood floors too quickly, as it will cause them to warp and buckle.Replace: Hardwood floors may very well need to be replaced if they have been soaked by flood water. And with regard to rugs, when in doubt, throw it out. Toss out all water damaged rugs, and replace promptly.

“The important thing to remember is that cleaning your floors after a flood, whether in your own home or in your office, should be handled immediately,” says Joe Dollak, owner of The Carpet Shop. “Otherwise you may not only lose your carpet or hardwood floors, you may possibly endanger your health and the health of your family.”For more information, call The Carpet Shop at 215.342.5900.